Single Cell Protein- Production, Source, Importance, and Applications

Single Cell Protein

Edited By Irshad Anwar | Updated on Nov 06, 2024 04:48 PM IST

Single-cell protein: Proteins are an essential component in nutrition for overall well-being. Experts are exploring sustainable alternative solutions to meet future protein demands. Meat and soy—the traditional sources of protein- are also becoming more unsustainable because of their carbon footprint. Here comes Single Cell Protein (SCP), an innovative solution with the potential to solve the worldwide protein deficiency effectively and sustainably. Single cell protein is a topic of the chapter Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production in Biology.

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This Story also Contains

What is Single Cell Protein -SCP?
Sources of Single-Cell Protein
Single Cell Protein Production
Importance of Single-Cell Protein
Applications of Single Cell Protein
Advantages and Disadvantages of Single Cell Protein
Challenges and Future Prospects

Single Cell Protein

What is Single Cell Protein -SCP?

Single Cell Protein Definition— Protein obtained from microbial biomass such as yeast, bacteria, algae, fungi, etc., is defined as single cell protein. This microbial protein is known for its high protein content and potency and is a safe nutritional supplement in human and animal diets. In this view, SCP provides a reliable protein source that satisfies the nutritional requirements of an increasing population, reduces environmental pollution and takes the place of traditional proteins.

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Sources of Single-Cell Protein

The extraction source of SCP from algae, yeast, fungi, and bacteria is an excellent choice due to the microbial protein yield.

Bacteria

Methylophilus methylotrophus and Bacillus subtilis are often employed for SCP production because of their fast growth rate and high protein content.

Algae

Algae belonging to species such as Spirulina and Chlorella are among the widely studied species for SCP from algae, having notable high protein content and nutrition.

Yeast

For SCP production, yeast species like Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida utilis are used due to their high substrate-to-protein conversion yield.

Fungi

Known for its long and increasingly recognised diversity hosts, the choice of Fusarium venenatum to Aspergillus niger is a vast reservoir of SCP protein and is applicable for varying uses.

A few examples of Single Cell Protein are discussed below.

Microorganism	Protein (%)	Lipid (%)	Carbohydrate (%)	Nucleic Acid (%	Ash (%)
Bacteria	50-8-	4-7	8-14	8-12	3-7
Algae	40-60	10-20	15-25	4-8	8-10
Yeast	45-55	4-7	20-30	6-10	5-8
Fungi	30-45	5-10	30-40	5-10	8-10

Single Cell Protein Production

The production process of single cell protein is divided into the following steps:

Selection of Microorganisms and Substrates

The single cell protein production process is a multi-step process that starts with the biotech companies choosing the right microorganisms and substrates. The suitable organisms are those that grow fast and produce a high protein content. The most common substrates used for SCP production include agricultural wastes and residues, industrial by-products and some carbon sources such as methane or CO2.

Microorganisms and their substrate preferences.

Bacteria

Microorganism	Substrate Preferences
Methane, agricultural waste
Algae	CO2, sunlight
Yeast	Industrial by-products, sugars
Fungi	Agricultural waste, industrial by-products

Fermentation Process

The fermentation process is used to grow specific microorganisms under specific conditions for affordable production of SCP. Such conditions include temperature, pH and oxygen levels. The same is illustrated below:
1. Inoculation: Putting microbes into the soil
2. Fermentation: Controlled condition for microbial growth and protein production.
3. Recovery: Removal of microbial organisms from growth medium.
4. Post-Harvest Treatment: Drying and refinement of fermented SCP, processing it into edible protein and energy.

Harvesting and Post-Harvest Treatment

SCP is produced as a metabolic product of microorganisms,i.e., microbial protein, growing in an appropriate medium under aseptic conditions. After fermentation for SCP, the cells are separated from the medium and harvested as SCP. They are next dehydrated and then cleaned to an eatable state. The following steps are guidelines to make sure the end product of the SCP is safe to feed, nutrient-balanced, and palatable.

SCP Processing for Food

The SCP is further processed to improve its nutritional value as well as flavour and texture. It could involve the use of enzymes, flavour enhancement, texturising, etc to make SCP suitable for different food applications.

Importance of Single-Cell Protein

The importance of single cell protein is described below-

Nutritional Value

Based on the current study, there are many nutritional benefits of SCP. It provides all the essential amino acids in forms and concentrations that are nearly similar to that of conventional protein sources. SCP is a rich source of protein; SCP can contain more protein and nutrients than even meat or soy.

Environmental and Economic Benefits

SCP production incorporates the use of waste products, meaning that it reduces pollution since the products are useful as protein sources. The SCP production method is more effective than animal farming and has to become an integral part of future models of food safety. Therefore, the environmental benefits of SCP justify its need to be utilised.

Health Benefits

SCP is very useful in fighting malnutrition as it provides essential nutrients. It also has nutritional benefits such as reducing cholesterol and enhancing the gut of human beings and animals and therefore can be consumed by both.

Applications of Single Cell Protein

Some applications of single cell protein are-

In Human Nutrition

SCP is incorporated in various food products, functional foods, and nutraceuticals, thus being in the common diet of mankind. Examples of SCP-based products include protein bars and shakes as well as meat-substitute products.

Animal Feed

SCP in animal feed has valuable effects on growth promotion and feed consumption for livestock, poultry and fish is important for the animals. The SCP production process is fully efficient, right from the procurement of materials and even animal feeds.

Industrial Uses

Apart from the food industries, SCP has prospects for use in different fields such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and bio-energy, which confirm the high scalability of the use of the invention.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Single Cell Protein

The advantages and disadvantages of single cell protein are summarised below-

Advantages

It features a high protein content and a high production rate due to the utilisation of enzymes.
The unique characteristics of waste materials, their exhaustion, and proper use minimise their effect on the environment.
Another key issue that needs to be addressed is having a sustainable and scalable production process.
Specially designed with the ability to provide nutrition solutions regarding certain diets.

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Disadvantages

Due to the high content of nucleic acid, necessary means are required to reduce it for human consumption.
The initial setup of the production is very expensive.
While there are individual applications to have the novel food approved for use as human food, there are also regulatory measures that one has to overcome to gain approval.
Additional issues related to sensory acceptance, taste and texture.

Challenges and Future Prospects

The challenges faced by single cell protein are-

Technical and Regulatory Challenges

The challenges of SCP production include issues of contamination, scalability, and the regulatory processes that are required before SCPs can be produced and used in society. These problems must be solved to achieve the necessary vast-scale deployment of SCP technologies.

Future Trends

Newer and improved methods in SCP production technologies continue to evolve and this may lead to increased efficiency of the product and its uses. The analysis of future perspective evinces the increasing importance of SCP objectives in worldwide nutrition and sustainable development initiatives.

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Biofortification	Agriculture fertilizer
Animal husbandry	Agricultural implements
Tissue culture	Biocontrol agent

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. In what way could single-cell protein help in meeting the food security of the world?

SCP may be used to look into global food security and offer a solution by supplying protein in a manner that is sustainable and productive. It uses smaller land and water resources than conventional farming; and can be produced from the by-products of agriculture and industries.

This also makes SCP production to be friendly to the natural environment and cheaper to carry out. Also, SCP can rise sufficiently to meet growing protein expectations, especially in those countries where there is a problem with agricultural areas.

2. Explain the fermentative production of SCP using methane utilising bacteria.

Methane-utilising bacteria are grown in bioreactors with methane to be used as the carbon source. Refrigeration is the process of keeping chemical reactions in their ideal state for bacterial development. The biomass is subsequently collected, washed and dried, and is then processed to yield a protein-rich powder. It makes the production process of SCP for food and feed continuous and scalable with improvements.

3. What are the main challenges that are linked to the commercial production of SCP?

The ordinary production of SCP has issues of high production costs and stringent purification process to avoid compromise on safety. Consumer acceptance of MDP can be hindered by people’s inability to accept microbial-derived proteins. There are regulatory challenges as well because safety and other standard requirements for SCP are very high. The challenges are; The third challenge is how to increase production and meet capacity while at the same time increasing quality and how to deal with large scale equipment.

4. In what respect is single-cell protein advantaging performing over the traditional livestock farming in terms of environmental influence?

The effect of SCP production is less on environmental factors as compared to the livestock farming industry, and it takes less land and water. It emits fewer greenhouse gases and works with waste, thus minimising pollution. SCP also aids in the savings of bio-diversity by reducing the necessity for agricultural bases. It also makes SCP a better option for protein production compared to other means of protein production.

5. What is Single Cell Protein and explain its importance in diet?

SCP is rich in protein (50-80%) and is a good source of all the essential amino acids; thus, it is a complete protein, including all the dispersed amino acids in the natural protein. It also provides vitamins and minerals, thus increasing the nutritional value of the food. The digestibility of the commercial poultry feed SCP makes it possible to absorb all the nutrients without waste.

In human diets, it can replace missing nutrients in our diets, and for animals in feed, it boosts growth and production. SCP also encourages the safeguarding of long-term food security because it does not depend solely on traditional sources of proteins.